updated 02:05 am EDT, Mon June 9, 2008

Sydney Apple Store: 6/19

Mac fans in Australia have more than just tomorrow's Keynote to look forward to, as the country's first Apple Store opens later this month. The Sydney Morning Herald says the store will be one of only three in the world spread out over three stories, that it will house the largest "Genius Bar" in the world, and that will offer Apple's Pro Lab service, which provides in-depth training to professional users (Pro Lab services are only available in two other Apple Stores - at one of its flagship stores in New York and in the recently opened Boston flagship store). In an exclusive interview with the newspaper, Apple's Senior Vice President Ron Johnson said it will be "a breathtaking store," with some sort of secret architectural feature taking up a significant amount of floor space.

The Herald notes the Sydney Apple Store will be the one of the largest in the World, housed in a refurbished bank building. Johnson told the newspaper the first floor will be devoted to Macs and the second to "new products," including the iPod and iPhone. The third floor will be home to what Johnson said would be the largest Genius Bar in the world, along with a "Pro Lab" providing services for professional users. The first Apple Store in the southern hemisphere is set to open June 19.

Like all the newer Apple flagship stores, the Sydney store will feature "a lot of glass" and a giant -- nearly 10-ft -- Apple logo suspended over the main entrance and floors paved with stone imported from Italy, the report said.